Business owners in Catalonia, who are not in agreement about the region's independence, are starting to talk with more clarity about the risks involved with a possible recession. For the first time, they are acknowledging openly these risks and admit that they cannot sit on the sidelines. José Manuel Lara, the owner of Planeta and CEO of Atresmedia, was the first to express his opposition to secession and the Artur Mas agenda. He said that he would move his publishing and communication company from Catalonia if it secedes.
During the last week, several new voices have expressed their objections to Catalonia's attempts to secede and their fears about what consequences would affect their businesses. Leaving the EU would cripple exports, because many companies would begin to pay duties to their main European clients.
Business owners are increasingly alarmed, because when making decisions today they need to anticipate what could happen in the near future. Freixenet, the world's leading exporter of cava wines, has suspended a 30-million euro investment in Sant Sadurní d Anoia (Barcelona). The firm's CEO, José Luis Bonet, told the New York Times that business leaders have the right to worry when politicians are sowing discord instead of finding solutions.
Not the only opponents to Catalonia's independence, these business leaders know that some companies have already left the region and that others have stopped further investments until the Catalonian parliament decides whether to secede or not. If the region splits from Spain, then the damage will be hard to repair, especially given the recent economic crisis that the nation has endured.
